The Beginning of Bella and Edward
Chapter 2
Saturday morning
"Bella?" I heard Alice call from the other side of my door.
"Hmmphhh…" I grunted back. I'd worked from 8am till 6pm Monday to Thursday, then pulled a double shift to cover for Jasper on Friday, starting at 8am and finishing at 6 Saturday morning. I was in no mood for Alice, her brother, or anyone else. I had 4 days off now and was planning on sleeping away most of it. Obviously, Alice had other ideas. I heard her open my bedroom door and the next thing I knew, the blinds were opened and my room was full of sunlight. "Ugh," I moaned, burying my head in my pillow.
"Uh uh uh, none of that missy!" she scolded. "It's 11am on a glorious Saturday, and Jazz has breakfast in the kitchen for you to thank you for covering his shift last night. And Edward will be here soon too…" she trailed off. I rolled over and gave her a dirty look, then got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, I was showered and dressed and eating bacon and eggs in the kitchen. "As good as this is Jasper, you owe me a shift," I told him around a mouthful of eggs. He smiled at me and was about to reply when there was a knock at the door. We rolled our eyes as Alice squealed from the living room. I heard the door open and the squeal got louder. It was joined by possibly the most wonderful laugh I'd ever heard. The door closed and I heard two sets of footsteps crossing the wooden floors to our kitchen. I looked to the doorway and my hand froze halfway to my mouth with a piece of bacon hanging off my fork. He's even better than I remember…I thought. Dressed in jeans, a white button-down shirt with the top three buttons undone and a pair of black Docs, Edward leaned in the doorway with a smile playing on his lips. "Hello Bella," he said as it turned into a full blown grin. Wow – hang on, not wow! This guy is a jerk! I told myself.
"Hello Edward," I replied, turning back to my breakfast.
"And you must be Jasper," I heard him say, his footsteps drawing closer as he approached the table where Jasper and I were sitting. I breathed in as he passed me and I almost fell off my chair. Not only was he the best looking man I'd ever laid eyes on, he smelled good too. Not that expensive-cologne smell, just a clean, fresh, man smell. I didn't wait to hear Jasper's response, I threw my chair back and bolted from the kitchen to my bedroom.
I spent the better part of the afternoon holed up in my room, alternating between napping and trying to read while I listened to that glorious laugh drift down the hallway to my bedroom. Around 6 there was a gentle knock on my door and Alice poked her head in. "Bella?" she asked, almost timidly.
"It's ok Alice, I'm still alive," I joked, smiling to let her know I was ok. She gently closed the door behind her and perched on the end of my bed. "I'm sorry Alice," I apologised before she could say anything. "I've been so rude and I don't even really know why. I've only met Edward once and I'm acting as badly as he did then…" I would have continued rambling but Alice cut me off.
"It's ok Bella," she smiled at me, "I understand. I talked Edward up to be this wonderful guy and he treated you like dirt. If he wasn't my brother, I'd be pissed at him too." I should have known when her blue eyes started to twinkle that I was about to get roped into something, but I was so relieved that she wasn't mad at me that I missed it.
"How about I grow a spine and I come and cook dinner?" I offered.
"Ooh!" she squealed, clapping her hands together and bouncing on the end of my bed where she perched like the pixie she is. "That sounds great! And since you've decided you're going to be sociable, you can come out with us tonight now too!" Before I could respond, she was out the door and calling out to Jasper and Edward, "Boys! Bella is going to come out with us! And she's making dinner too!" I couldn't help but laugh at her as I walked out of my room and down the hall.
I bypassed the living room and went into the kitchen via the dining room, surprised to find Edward sitting at the kitchen table going through a sheaf of papers, listening to his iPod. I stopped and looked at him, not quite as taken aback by his good looks as before, seeing him more as a normal person. If normal people looked like Greek gods, anyway. He sensed my presence and looked up, smiling as he removed his ear buds. "Hello again," he said. I took a deep breath and drew out the chair opposite him.
"Edward, I owe you an apology," I started, looking into his eyes. Breathe Bella, I reminded myself as I felt myself drowning in their beautiful green depths.
"No Bella, I owe you an apology for the way I treated you that summer," he replied. "I know it's not really an excuse but my girlfriend dumped me just as I was getting on the plane to come home. To take my mind of it, I got wasted on the plane and took it out on the first person who wouldn't hit me for it. I didn't speak to you for the rest of that weekend because I was so ashamed of my behaviour." I sat there, absolutely gobsmacked. This incredibly gorgeous man was apologising to me? I felt myself blushing under his gaze.
"I guess we're even then, huh?" I said, trying to keep my tone light.
"I guess so," he replied. "Friends?" he asked, extending his hand across the table.
"Friends," I smiled as I shook his hand
"So what's for dinner?" he asked. I had no idea what we had in the fridge or the cupboard.
"Hmm…how about chicken cacciatore and rice?" I asked as I pulled the frozen chicken from the freezer.
"Sounds good. Is there anything I can help with?" he asked, rising from the table and coming to stand beside me while I rummaged through the pantry for the jar of simmer sauce I was sure was there.
"You could set the table," I suggested as I put the chicken in the microwave to thaw and put the rice on to boil.
"Done," he said with a smile, "but I'll need you to direct me around your kitchen!"
I gave directions while I cooked, Edward set the table for the four of us and we were ready to eat in no time. "Dinner!" I called to Alice and Jasper. They came in and sat opposite each other, leaving the other two facing seats for Edward and me. We joined them at the table and I waited until everyone else had tried the food before I started eating too.
"Mmm Bells – this is great!" Jasper praised round a mouthful of chicken and rice. "Jasper! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Alice admonished. We all laughed at that and finished our dinner like four friends who had known each other forever.
Once all of our plates were cleared, Alice stood up and declared, "Ok. You men-folk are going to clean this up while Bella and I go and make ourselves gorgeous for tonight." She turned and gave Jasper a pointed look as Edward started clearing the table.
"But you're already gorgeous!" Jasper said to her. I giggled and headed for my bedroom with Alice hot on my heels.
"Oh no you don't!" she said as she grabbed the back of my shirt. "You're getting ready in my room, in a knock-em' dead outfit. My dear brother is not going to be able to contain himself when he sees you tonight Bella!"